Combustion of fuel



(1.11. RiDDERS-TEDT. COMBUSTION 0F FUEL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 19,1918- Patented Jan. 20,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- W Q M.

C. H. Ri-DDERSTEDT comsusnow OF FUEL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 19, I918- Patented Jan. 20, 192i).

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I \WNEBISI. SIS];1SISISEISIEISISISIHSISISISHISISISISISHHHENFISIS Illm combustion of I CHARLES H. RIDDERSTEDT, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

COMBUSTION OF FUEL.

s'rnnr, a citizen of the United States, resid-.

ing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Combustion of Fuel, of which the following is a specification.

The principal objects of the present invention are, first to efiect an economy in the fuel; second, to obtain the advantages of'burning pulverized fuel but without the disadvantage of pulverizing it;'

third, to avoid clinkers and air holes and to keep a level fire of any thickness; fourth, to effect substantially complete combustion;

and fifth,'to afford perfect control-of the rate of combustion.

To these and other ends hereinafter set forth the invention, stated in general terms, comprises the improvement in the combustion'of fuel which consists in keeping it in a state of suspension or semi-suspension while being burned. I a

The invention will be claimed at the end hereof, but will-be firstdescribed in connection with the embodiment selected from other embodiments for the sake of illustration in the accompanying drawings forming part. hereof and in which-- Figure 1, is an elevational'view partly in section.

4 Fig. 2, is a plan view, drawn to an enlarged scale of the j igger with parts broken away, and

Figs. 3 and 4, are sectional views on the lines 3-3 and 44 of Fig. 2.

The invention is shown in connection with the combustion of fuel, as coal, in the combustion chamber of a boiler for generating steam, and the invention will be described in that connection, but without intending to limit the application of the invention to that use. 1, is an element or contrivance which is'designated a jigger, because it both has and causes when in use rapid jerky motion, and this element 1, is also a grate in the sense that air passes through it in order to support combustion, but unlike most grates the ashes do not pass through it, but are discharged over its end. The jigger 1, is shown asv inclined in ,order to facilitate the travel of fuel in respect to its surface. The igging mechanism for the j igger 1, is susceptible of embodiment in many forms, since the object 'isto keep the fuel or the particles of the burning fuelbed in a state of suspension or 'semi-suspension through the rapid and concarriage 2, capable of vibration as by means of a crank 3, and crank-arm 4, of which the fulcrum is adjustable by means of the adjusting screw 5, to vary the amplitude of the vibrations. One end'of the jigger element 1, is shown as pivoted to the carriage at 6, by means of a shoe 7 ,and adjustable eccentric 8, so that the j igger element can be adjusted from horizontal to any inclination desired in order to control the rate of travel of the fuel. The other end of the jig er element 1, is acted upon by the star-wieel 9, driven by the connection 10, and is guided by the guide 10. The star wheel 9, is shown as acting upon an anvil member 11, adjustably connected with the jigger by a screw thread and jam nuts 12, so that this anvil member can be adjusted to modify and control the action of the star wheel and to increase and diminish the amplitude of the oscillations of the jigger member. 13, is a feed control for the fuel, which need not be powdered, but which is preferably of small Specification of Letters ratent. Patented Jan. 20, 1920. Application filed; November 19, 1918. Serial No. 263,115.

shown for supplying air to support combustion of the suspended or semi-suspendedfuel includes draft-box provisions 15, for the jigger element 1. Air is led to the draft box 15, by'a suitable flexible connection or connections 16, valved, and from the draft box by apertures 17 which may be large enough for its passage,'yet small enough in connection with the pressure of the air blast for excluding fuel and products of combustion. 20, indicates means for adjusting the valve of the connection 16. The draft box may be subdivided into compartments, as shown in Fig. 3, each supplied by a different air connection, so that different portions of the suspended or semi-suspended fuel-bed may be supplied with an appropriate draft or supply of air.

The mode of operation may be described as follows: The igger mechanism vibrates the jigger element 1, which keeps the-fuelbed in a state of suspension or semi-suspension, and in a state of combustion supported by the air supplied above the jigger element 1. Fuel is fed in at 13, and theash escapes at 18. The rate of combustion is under the control of the operator who can regulate not only the quantity of fuel supplied, but also the rate of travelby means of the feed mechanism 13, and the means 8, for adjusting the inclination of the jigger element 1. Furthermore the motion which causes the-suspension or semi-suspension of the fuel can be increased or dimlnished by the described adjustments of the jigging mechanism. Inasmuch as the fuel-bed is in a stateof suspension or semi-suspension 1t follows that fused ash may not agglomerate into the form of clinker, nor can air holes form, so that a clean and level fire is maintained at all times of any desired thickness and the conditions are appropriate for perfect combustion. 19, are screens removably" mounted on the element 1, and they can be removed and cleaned if necessary and then replaced.

The fuel is in a bouncing state, because it is caused to leap or drop against the jigger and rebound by reason of the rapidly accelerated or quick jerky motions imparted to the jigger. It might be said the solid fuel is bounced because the fuel bed is raised by the jigger which is suddenly dropped, so that the solid fuel falls to the face of the jigger by gravity and then rebounds from the rising jigger, and repetitions of this action. keep the solid matter in a state of suspension or semi-suspension above the jigger through which it does not pass. When the jerky motions of the jigger are lateral and vertical the ash emf-take may be open and unobstructed. The star wheel is an example of a cam, tappet or hammer-blow or impact mechanism which bounces the fuel into and keeps it in a state of suspension or semisuspension, so violent that there is powdering or tendency to powdering of the fuel.

t will be obvious to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made in details of construction and arrangement and in mere matters of form. Hence my invention is not limited as to such things or otherwise than as the appended claims and the prior state of the art may require.

I claim:

1. Improvements in the combustion of fuel comprising the combination of a jigger impervious to the passage of solid ingredients of the fuel bed, means for supplying air through the jigger for supporting combustion, and cam jigger mechanism for rapidly jigging the jigger to bounce the solid ingredients of the fuel bed, substantially as described.

2. Improvements in the combustion of fuel comprising the combination of a jigger impervious to the passage of solid ingredients of the fuel bed, means for supplying air through the jigger for supporting combustion, vertically and transversely acting jigger mechanism for rapidly jigging the jigger, provisions for feeding fuel at one end of the jigger, and an off-take for ash at the other end of the j igger, substantially as described.

8. Improvements in the combustion of fuel comprising the combination of an inclined jigger impervious to the passage of solid ingredients of the fuel bed and in respect to which the fuel feeds, means for supplying air through the jigger for sup porting combustion, and vibratory impact mechanism for continuously jigging the jigger to keep the fuel in a bouncing state, substantially as described.

4. Improvements in the combustion of fuel comprising the combination of an inclined jigger impervious to the passage of solid ingredients of the fuel bed and in. respect to which the fuel feeds, means for'supplying air through the jigger for supporting combustion, vibratory impact mechanism for continuously jigging the jigger to keep the fuel in a bouncingstate and means for adjusting the inclination of the jigger when in operationto control the travel of the fuel.

5. Improvements inthe combustion of fuel comprising the combination of a jigger impervious to the passage of solid ingredibustion chamber, a movable carriage 'ar-' ranged in the chamber, a jigger pivotally connected at one end to the carriage, a ]lgging cam device carried by the carriage and adapted to operate vertically upon the other end of the jigger, means for transversely'vibrating the carriage and air connections to the top of the jigger, substantially as described.

7. Improvements in the combustion of fuel comprising the combination of a combustion chamber, a jigger arranged in the combustion chamber perforated for the pasneeaaee sage of air and not for the passage of fuel and ash, means for supplying air through the jigger, and jigging hammer-blow mech anism for the jigger, substantially as de- 5 scribed.

8. In combination a combustion chamber,

a fuel supporting element therein impervious to the passage of solid fuel ingredients, means for imparting quick jerky motions to the element to toss the particles of fuel and. 10 keep the fuel bed in a bouncing state, and means for supplying air, substantially as described.

CHARLES H. RIDDERSTEDT- 

